Monday, March 26, 2012

Hi Mom!

Well, things are going well for me. I did get your St. Patties package! Thank you so much! It was FANTASTIC! Probably my favorite one yet. I love the treats, and toothbrush, a must. Thank you! You are the best. Our mail lady, Sue, in T.O. told me that she has been sending everything with my name back to the sender, so I was sure I wouldn’t get it, but that night (After the mail had come) it was there on our front door! :) It was nice.

Yuppers, lots of new stuff! We got snow yesterday! It didn’t stick though:) I have some epics for you, they are uploading now. It sure was tough to leave Westlake. Bree Bentley was particularly upset. We had a dinner at 5 guys with the ward and a bunch of people came to see me off, then we did FHE at a guys house and I got to say bye to everybody. Bree cried and it was really sad. I thought I would never get attached to that ward! But look what happened, I did. :) haha i love them.

Elder Bostrom is my new comp. He is from Orem, UT, and is way cool. He's half Malasian, so that’s also cool. Ethnicity! :) We have had a tough week trying to find people and things to do - the last missionaries left us nothing. So we have tracted and contacted a lot. We got to teach 2 investigators in a members home last night as well. It was amazing! Monica and her daughter Rachel. It was so sweet! We taught the Restoration lesson and focused on Priesthood, then afterwards invited Monica to pray. She asked to know if what we were saying was true. After the prayer Rachel shook my hand and held on for a bit and started to weep. I asked her how she felt, and she said, "Up till now, I feel like I’ve gotten bits and piecess. Now it has started to come together - it makes sense!" We talked about baptism and the Holy Ghost, and they are on track! WOOO! I know why I am here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes sense now why president asked me to do this! Woo!!!!

We're getting a new truck on Wednesday, so we're going to Oxnard to get it. WOO! And new beds, because ours are SICK. Our apartment is NASTY. But we're cleaning it up! :) Yeah! good times.

I have a request for a C.D. - Reflections of Christ; Another Testament (The book of Mormon one). Would be great! I don’t know how much it is... but I love it! If at all possible, could I get the original? If not, just write that its yours. THANKS!

Things are looking up! YEAH! I love it here already. It’s mega country here. Wow. We have to drive almost an hour to get to District meeting in Bakersfield. Crazy!

I LVOE YOU! Have fun on Vay Cay. You rock!

The library IN THEIR HOUSE.

Their pool

The gates stairs. I had to send some pics so you believe its real!

Me and Kristi Eide and her PT. Haha!

Me and Bree. Golly, love her!

The Westlake YSA    I love them!

Me and Jessi Bell, a new convert in Westlake    

Our Apartment in Tahatchapi.  Notice the snow!

from Matt

Monday, March 19, 2012

Hey mom!

Well, big news today, and I don't have any time. I'll try and write a letter today.

President asked Elder Brodie and I to go to Oxnard yesterday for interviews. We went, and he asked me to take 2 transfers off of being a zone leader and whitewash and train a new missionary in Tehatchapi. WOOO! I'm so excited! Its gonna be so fun. So I’ll be getting a greenie tomorrow and driving a brand new truck up to T- Hatch! :) haha crazy times. President made me feel really good though, and told me how much he loves and trusts me. There have been a lot of piles in T hatch, so I’m on a little bit of damage control. :) FUN!

This week was good! I'll have to tell you more next week. I got the shirts, but no packages yet... they might be in our mailbox at home now... I love you!

Mom this is important. I need some money! I'm sorry to keep begging. Now I’m going to a new area and need to get some things there and I just need a little to help me along till next month. Please?!?!  I love you so much, and I appreciate your help and support. Thank you thank yoU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This means a lot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to go! I love you and will talk to you soon!

All my love,

Elder Matthew Monk

  California Ventura Mission

          Jan. 2011 - Jan. 2013

P.S.  Maybe if you ran to the bank super quick? How about this... I'll pay you back when I get home! Think of it as a loan!!!!!!! I love you x 100,000,000,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TOFW

This week end I got to attend 

Time Out For Women

right here in Idaho Falls at the Civic.

I was so glad that we could get together

and spend some quality time with

Brooke, Mom, Karen and Lindsay.

I wish Natalie and Hailey could of been there, 

we missed them so much.

The spirit was so strong and what I noticed the very 

most was that as soon as the spirit was invited,

we could almost instantly feel it.

I simply loved it!

The theme was Seek for the Good.

All the talks were centered around this theme.

Everyone did such a great job and oh, so

many women in one place!  

I feel rejuvenated and ready to face the world now. :)

Jericho Road performed.

I have never really been fond of that group but

I loved them this week end.

Maybe because they shared their story?

Just really enjoyed the whole week end.  

New Quilt!

Just had to share pictures of my new quilt I just finished

tonight.  I'm still waiting to get my bedroom painted

but at least I have the quilt done. . . 

Today's letter from Matt

Decker Canyon Rd! So pretty!

The view of the coast!

 Elder Gates on the cliff:)

Me in Kristi Eides wine closet. 

They converted after building their home.. 

Haha! Thats how Californians live.... 

Heeeey mom!                                                                                                                                                                                  

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat week! Lots of meetings. I'll give you a run down of the week:

Monday: Pday we drove Decker Canyon all the way to the PCH north of Malibu. Way pretty! I'll attach some pics for you. We had exchanges that night with elder Gates and Elder Hofheins, and we had to pick up some reports from a high councilmen, so we were late as usual... 

Tuesday: I spent the day with Elder Gates in the Dos Vientos and Conejo Canyon wards. We did a lot of walking, so my footsies hurt because of the sliver incident but all is well! We got to talk to quite a few peepz, so it was nice. Good good missionaries. Love them!

Wednesday: President and the assistants came down so president could do interviews for our zone. While he was interviewing, we trained the missionaries on stuff we learned last week from Bro. Heaton and stuff like that. It was way good! Shortly after we had a stake meeting with T.O. and president Castro, so that was good. But nobody really cared about the report that we tediously put together for them.. Then president trained the Ward Mission Leaders and we sat in, and then went home! We were at the church from... well, lets see... 11:45 to 8:45. We left for about 20 min to get McDonalds because we had to cancel our like one dinner appointment that we had for the week... Great! Hahahahahahaha that’s our life! Meetings.

Thursday: We exchanged with Westlake. Elder Hatch came with me, and it was good! We got a call from our office telling us to go give a blessing at the hospital ASAP. We drove over and checked in and found the lady, but we had to wait while she went into a procedure, so we talked to a catholic guy about the Book of Mormon, and gave him one. Then we went in to see Tamy... She was in a motorcycle accident with her boyfriend (Both from riverside, she’s a member), and they flew 70 feet, he died on impact, and she broke both hips, and arm, a leg.... she was pretty beat up. We said hi, and she immediately said, "my boyfriend Scott is dead..." and started crying. Broke my heart! But we were able to give her a blessing, then be on our way. Crazy day!

Friday: we planned and got our new zone t-shirts! They look so cool! I'll send you a picture. We helped set up chairs for the road show in T.O. for EVER while trying to teach our recent convert matt, then had dinner with Kristi Eide in Malibu Lake with our ward mission leader Chris. It was great! Really good day. Then Elder Brodie got to give a baptismal interview for some other missionaries. So good!

Saturday: We went to Ventura and met Elder Perry! He was so cool! He shook all of our hands, and talked to us about working with ward members. So... you better be telling those missionaries who they can go see! (Less active or non-member!) DO IT! :) But it was a good meeting. We had dinner with Jun, who just is coming back to church. Really good day.

Sunday: Church! pretty good! Love it! We have a great ward.

But that’s our week! Thanks for sending more shirts... I appreciate you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! x 100,000,000,000!!!!!!!! You are the best! Could I still snag some money from you too? You rock. 

That’s pretty much it for me over here. Good week! Lots of exciting stuff. Busy busy busy.... Keep in touch! I love you tons. 

Elder Matthew Monk

  California Ventura Mission

          Jan. 2011 - Jan. 2013

Canning in March. . .

So I finally got my September project done!

Check that off my long list of to do's.

As my tomatoes would ripen, I would take the

 skins off and freeze.  I kept doing this until I had 

enough tomatoes for two batches of salsa.

  (Thanks to my Mom for all

of her contributions of tomatoes). 

 I meant to make my

salsa in like late September or early October but it

just never happened.  

So, on Friday and Saturday, I made salsa.

It was such beautiful weather and I processed

my bottles out on my deck.  

So happy to now have 25 pints and 10 quarts of salsa on

my shelf down my basement.  

Wynn went on a scout outing and so I canned.  

Weird to be canning in March but it worked.

Monday, Feb. 5, 2012

Hi Mom!

Well it was a good week. Not too exciting around here! Yes I got the shirts and they are EXQUISITE. Can you please send 3 more? I know I know... but they are so much better than my old ones (They fit 1,000,000,000 time better) and I feel so much more comfortable in them. The old ones are just too form fitting (NOT because i've gotten fat - they've always been like that!)  :) That is all I could really ask for. Thank you so much mom! You are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!! We are also making zone t-shirts for our missionaries they say:

front:                                 Back:

SAVED                       ... after all we can do.

WITH                              (2 Nephi 25:23)

AMAZING
GRACE

They're gonna be awesome!  (Notice the SWAG on the front, hehe!) We're pretty pumped. We had to get our car fixed at the dealer, so we walked down the street and got them made.

We had another ZLC this week. Brother Heaton (Director of the MTC)  and Brother Beck (Church Headquarters) came and taught us. It was really good! Lots of good things happening here. Just lots of meetings... We had a stake presidents meeting on Saturday for the Newbury Park stake, then we're having one on wednesday with the Thousand Oaks stake president, and president Castro, then a Ward Mission Leader Training that night, then L. Tom Perry on Saturday. Holy Cow! :) Its good stuff though.

We had dinner with a billionaire on Saturday. The mom is a lifelong member, and Bro. Gates is a convert of 5 years. They have 2 YSA age boys that aren't  members. One of them goes to BYU Idaho! Holy cow. He invented wireless internet and a company to go with it, then a few years ago,I guess he sold it for 4 billion dollars and started a new company. He's done all the wireless for BYU Idaho, BYU, Carnegie-Mellon, and bunches of others. Their house is DISGUSTING. You would DIE at how weird and huge it is! It looks like a temple when you walk in. Absolutely massive. sick sick sick. Haha! To get to their house I had to show my driver's license! Whew! Its crazy around here.

Just the usual stuff arouund here! We got a new investigator on Friday! His name is Parker, he talked to missionaries in L.A., and used mormon.org to request missionaries again. So cool! We set him with a baptismal date of April 20, so he's pretty pumped. We're so blessed! Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Well, nothing else too crazy! We're gonna go hiking today a bit. We're driving up Westlake Blvd to Mullholland Highway and see what we can see. It's in the Santa Monica Mtns, halfway to Malibu, so it should be pretty awesome! :)

Well, i love you. Thanks for all you do for me. It means so much. I couldn't do it without you! Sorry to ask for so much... but those things would really help. You are the best! Tell everyone hi for me! :)

love,

--
Elder Matthew Monk
  California Ventura Mission
          Jan. 2011 - Jan. 2013